31 Jul 2008

This sweet little feather duster is a young Yellowhammer
seen where it's parents come and feed every day.

Ref: D3B_20080716_2034_080 fb1 Yellowhammer Juvenile.jpg

30 Jul 2008

Not seeing so many mice at the moment. This one seems to have
found some small piece of peanut (?) and is nibbling away.

Ref: D3B_20080718_0301_034 fb1 Fieldmouse (Wood Mouse).jpg

29 Jul 2008

Plant galls fascinate us. They are formed by insect parasites,
often eggs laid inside the plant which reacts to form a cavity to
the insect lavas liking. Eventually the insect bores its way out.
In the winter you find the woody galls with the exit holes
visible.

Ref: P34_20080712_1220_681 Oak marble gall.jpg

28 Jul 2008

The book describes Buzzard underwings as 'Variable', almost white
to almost black. Have both in one go ...

Ref: DC1_20080713_1634_094 Two Buzzards flying together with one light & other dark underwings.jpg

Earlier in the day we were surprised to see a buzzard carrying a
whole rabbit. The next surprise is that it didn't set off with it.
Instead it flew a few 100m over to a known morning 'thermal' and
despite the load circled without flapping and eventually
disappeared as a speck in the haze. We imagine it was
transporting it back a hungry brood some way away. A few days
later without the thermal we saw a smaller load being carried off
toward the M1 Motorway.

Ref: DC1_20080713_0923_009 Buzzard carrying rabbit in talons.jpg

27 Jul 2008

Kestrels (the birds often seen hovering over motorways) are wonderful
to watch whether hovering or not.

Ref: DC1_20080714_0816_012 Kestrel Female in flight.jpg

26 Jul 2008

After years of 'absence' a Little Owl (actual common name of
species) landed on a spoil heap of prospective stone quarrying
going on in the just cut meadow. This little fellow is fully
grown & is about the same size as a Starling. He is about 60m
away and just sat there for hours with his head turning at least
every half minute. Our presence seems to bother him/her not one
jot.

Ref: DC1_20080714_0825_066 Little Owl on Spoil heap in Field to North (web crop).jpg

25 Jul 2008

The heron visited the 'duck' pond and ate at least 3 Great Crested Newts
while we were watching. Considering that we only know he is there by chance
we wonder just how many newts he finds - and its been going on for years.
They must breed well here to survive this level of predation.

23 Jul 2008

22 Jul 2008

After a day of rain an early bright period saw a lot of corvids
out looking over waterlogged soil for breakfast. This rook
silhouette with beak and eye rather appealed to us.

Ref: SC1_20080710_0725_033 Rook in Flight (web crop).jpg

21 Jul 2008

Jackdaws are powerful flyers and this moment seemed to capture
some of it.

Ref: D3A_20080708_1911_067 fb2 Jackdaw flying over site.jpg

20 Jul 2008

The 5 moorhen chicks are two with the female and 3 with this
male. They just lined up nicely for a moment in the pic.

Ref: DB1_20080629_1233_014 Moorhen & three hopeful looking chicks.jpg

19 Jul 2008

The lapwing and heron flew over the middle of our patch 5 minutes
apart, and these were taken from just outside the back of the
house. Lapwings are not often seen here, Herons are.

Ref: DC1_20080707_1736_019 Lapwing in Flight.jpg

Ref: DC1_20080707_1741_041 Heron in Flight.jpg

18 Jul 2008

Chance juxtaposition. They basically ignored each other. We
weren't going to include this one on this site, but
got a request from one of our e-mail group for the original to
print and frame, so it obviously has appeal!

Ref: DC1_20080628_1559_251 Swallow and Kestrel male in same frame ignoring each other.jpg

17 Jul 2008

The other end of the original is a yellowhammer disappearing out
of frame at the right edge of the frame. Don't know whether the
chaffinch was seeing off the yellowhammer, or something disturbed
them both.

16 Jul 2008

15 Jul 2008

Magpie feeding its 'chick' if you can call that voracious creature a chick.
This is nothing wrong with the eye - just a protective membrane probably
like us closing our eyes when potential injury is near.

12 Jul 2008

We assumed it was the end of seeing skylarks over the field but
no - he was back to full enthusiasm. He is further away now but
still a delight. They have had time for one brood & will hopefully
now manage another.

10 Jul 2008

2 Days of the Peacocks! 6 peacocks (birds not butterflies!)
wandered in from track and stayed for a few hours, elegantly
draped over oil tanks, shed tops etc. They came from the hotel
800m from us now under new management - they inherited 11 birds
but consider them a nuisance. Next day just 2 males visited, and
for the following days none.

09 Jul 2008

Here is a first - the pheasants mating at site 2 (their favourite haunt).
Here he is 'treading' the 'blonde' female.
10 minutes before he was apparently making overtures to the 'brunet'
female at the same site - naughty boy!

Ref: D3A_20080623_1738_003 fb2 Pheasant pair mating (orig).jpg

The moorhens have successfully produced 5 chicks from the nest
feared would be predated again. Here is the first being fed.

Ref: DB1_20080624_1613_008 moorhen feeding chick.jpg

08 Jul 2008

The shimmering back of a swallow flying over a meadow of
uncut grasses & buttercups.

Ref: DC1_20080622_1023_115 Swallow over uncut meadow (web crop).jpg

A surprisingly pristine female Great spotted woodpecker on the
peanut feeder crossbar. The youngster has learned how to use the
feeders, saving her a lot of work.

Ref: DB1_20080616_0619_004 Great Spotted woodpecker female.jpg

07 Jul 2008

The Emperor Dragonfly is big with 10cm wingspan
and absolutely beautiful intricate body and wings.

05 Jul 2008

Expect we have seen them before, but this is the first image
of a Stock dove we have thought good enough to keep.

Ref: D3A_20080620_0539_023 fb2 Stock Dove.jpg

04 Jul 2008

Skylarks descend much faster than they rise. Sometimes they come down in
a chaotic flurry of legs and feather, at other times under more control
as this montage shows. The birds spacings are fairly accurate (based on
positions against the same clouds in different shots) taken at about
7 frames per Second.